Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
and Human Services (HHS)
September 15, 2020
RFA-OD-19-029 - The Intersection of Sex and Gender Influences on Health and Disease (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH)
The purpose of this notice is to inform potential applicants that the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) has made some changes, effective immediately, in RFA-OD-19-029, “The Intersection of Sex and Gender Influences on Health and Disease (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)”.
Research Scope
Current Language:
This FOA supports basic, preclinical, translational and clinical research investigations composed of teams who share expertise, knowledge, and skills in the following research formats:
Interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research that includes collaborations across a range of disciplines, including but not limited to, economics, medical anthropology, psychology, and demography to address research from a multi-disciplinary perspective that may address gaps in the fuller context of women's lives and the underlying common root causes of poorer health outcomes.
In addition to new, cross-cutting interdisciplinary research, studies that leverage existing funded cohorts and datasets for analyses of hypotheses related to sex and gender influences in health and disease are of high interest. Comparative analyses of existing samples/datasets/databases and/or data-mining and data curation to investigate the role of sex/gender are encouraged.
This FOA is designed to stimulate research that incorporates and/or enhances understanding of the influence of sex and gender and their intersectionality in health outcomes. For further information on NIH's expectations about consideration of sex as a biological variable, and NIH's initiative to improve reproducibility through rigor and transparency, please see the following Notices published in the NIH Guide: NOT-OD-15-102, NOT-OD-15-103, NOT-OD-16-011, NOT-OD-16-012.
Revised Language (changes are shown in italics below):
This FOA supports basic, preclinical, translational and clinical research investigations composed of teams who share expertise, knowledge, and skills in the following research formats:
Interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research that includes collaborations across a range of disciplines, including but not limited to, economics, medical anthropology, psychology, and demography to address research from a multi-disciplinary perspective that may address gaps in the fuller context of women's lives and the underlying common root causes of poorer health outcomes.
In addition to new, cross-cutting interdisciplinary research, studies that leverage existing funded cohorts and datasets for analyses of hypotheses related to sex and gender influences in health and disease are of high interest. Comparative analyses of existing samples/datasets/databases and/or data-mining and data curation to investigate the role of sex/gender are encouraged.
This FOA is designed to stimulate research that incorporates and/or enhances understanding of the influence of sex and gender and their intersectionality in health outcomes. For further information on NIH's expectations about consideration of sex as a biological variable, and NIH's initiative to improve reproducibility through rigor and transparency, please see the following Notices published in the NIH Guide: NOT-OD-15-102, NOT-OD-15-103, NOT-OD-16-011, NOT-OD-16-012.
ORWH is encouraging application submissions on the influence and intersection of sex and gender factors related to the SARS-CoV-2 virus or COVID-19 disease in alignment with RFA-OD-19-029.
Within the focus of RFA-OD-19-029, research topics of interest could include investigations of sex- and gender-related risk factors associated with COVID-19 disease prevalence, treatment and prevention, including the influence of co-morbid conditions. Studies examining the influence and intersection of sex and gender on COVID-19 related to health-seeking behaviors, access to health care, and health care systems are also within the scope of this funding opportunity
Applications submitted in response to this FOA are encouraged to consider populations of women that may be at higher risk for adverse COVID-19 outcomes due to: biological, physiological and genetic factors, cultural and socioeconomic factors such as education, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, effects of poverty, access to care, quality of care, and access to opportunities for inclusion in clinical trials and studies. Of particular interest are NIH-designated health disparity populations, women living in underserved rural or urban settings, pregnant and lactating women, women who are frontline healthcare workers, or women who are incarcerated or with low socioeconomic status.
All other aspects of this FOA remain the same.
Rebecca DelCarmen-Wiggins, Ph.D.
Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH)
Telephone: 301-451-8689
Email: [email protected]